1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to battery booster cable connectors of the type which can be used with both top and side terminal batteries.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
In recent years many automobile manufacturers have changed from using batteries with top terminals to using batteries with side terminals, with the results that both types of batteries are now in use.
Accordingly, one who wants to connect the battery on his car to another battery by using booster cables, may be faced with a different type of battery to which his battery booster cables can not be connected. Cable connection to the side terminal bolts of side terminal batteries is often difficult, as the terminal bolts do not project more than slightly from the side walls of the battery, and are often close to the fender panel or other grounded metal surface, which makes attachment thereto difficult and fraught with some degree of danger.
Various connectors have been proposed for use with booster cables for both top and side terminal batteries among which are the Shekel U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,345,807; 4,373,762; 4,373,763; 4,377,317, which disclose connectors with jaws to grip a top terminal battery in the conventional manner, and with a swing out adapter to grip a side terminal battery. The adapters merely snap on the side terminal which requires a uniformity of size of terminal bolts and which can result in arcing and/or poor contact between the connector and side terminal, and which suffer from other shortcomings.
The Johnson, III U.S. Pat. No. 4,449,772 discloses an electrical connector for top and side mount battery terminals, with conventional clamp ends to contact a top terminal battery, and with an elongated fork shaped slot in one of the jaws to snap over the side mount terminal, and with a contact surface on the other jaw to clamp the terminal therebetween. The Johnson structure also suffers from the shortcomings previously described for the Shekel patents.
The Ledbetter U.S. Pat. No. 4,453,791 discloses a structure similar to Johnson for clamping of top mount terminal batteries, and has a closed slot 52 for engaging side terminal mount batteries. This structure also suffers from the shortcomings previously described.
The combination battery booster cable connector of the invention provides for positive connection of the connector to both top and side terminal batteries, without the shortcomings of previously available connectors.